Majority of 14-17 age group not aware of vaping, e-cigarettes ban: Survey

According to a survey conducted by the Think Change Forum (TCF), 96% of the children surveyed were not aware that vaping and similar electronic devices are banned in India

Ninety-six per cent of students aged 14-17 who participated in a survey did not know that vapes and similar electronic devices are banned in India, while 89 per cent of them were unaware of their harmful effects, according to a study.

The study titled “Ideas for an Addiction-Free India” was conducted by the Think Change Forum (TCF), an independent think tank, which included 1,007 students from public schools in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru.

According to the survey, an overwhelming majority of 96 per cent of the children surveyed were unaware that vaping and similar electronic devices are banned in India.

The survey finds that 89 per cent of children aged 14 to 17 in grades nine to 12 are unaware of the harmful effects of 'vaping' and similar electronic devices.

Among those who were unaware of the harmful effects of vaping, 52 per cent thought it was "completely harmless" and viewed it as a cool and fashionable activity.

Another 37 per cent considered it "moderately harmful," but did not understand the nature of the harm. Only 11 per cent of children correctly identified vaping and other electronic devices as harmful, the study found.

Speaking about the survey results, Sushant Kalra, Parenting Coach and TEDx Speaker said, “It is deeply troubling to see such a high percentage of children unaware of the harmful effects of vaping. This ignorance makes children in the age groups of 14 to 17 years ‘highly prone’ to taking up vaping or other types of electronic device delivering addictive substances."

"Glamourisation and normalisation of such habits among children have thrown a blanket of ignorance over the harmful effects of vaping. We must take immediate action to bridge this information gap and educate our youth about the risks involved,” he stated," he added.

Only 39 per cent of respondents confirmed receiving information about the need to avoid vaping and similar products from their parents, educators, family members, or media sources.

Surprisingly, 61 per cent of the adolescents stated that they had never heard anything negative about vaping or similar electronic devices, not even from their parents.